Section-by-Section Summary: Immediate Expansion of Timber Production
Fully Exploiting Our Domestic Timber Supply (Section 1): The EO frames logging as the primary purpose of federal forest management. It frames increasing timber production as a matter of "national and economic security" and aims to reverse "onerous Federal policies" that have prevented the ability "to fully exploit our domestic timber supply." It mentions ecological values and community protection from wildfire impacts only in passing.
Weakening Environmental Review (Section 2): The agencies are directed to take action—on a rolling basis—to undermine National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act protections in a bid to facilitate logging. Specifically:
Within 30 days: BLM and USFS must issue guidance to boost logging under existing contracting authority (Good Neighbor Authority, Stewardship Contracting, and Tribal Forest Protection Act) and propose legislation to expand logging authority;
Within 60 days: FWS and NMFS must develop a strategy to expedite Endangered Species Act review applicable to logging projects and delegate consultation (including legislative options, if needed);
Within 90 days: BLM and USFS must propose jointly annual targets for timber sold from federal lands, measured in millions of board feet;
Within 120 days: Interior and USDA must complete the Whitebark Pine Rangewide Programmatic Consultation under the Endangered Species Act;
Within 180 days: Interior and USDA must consider adopting NEPA exemptions (“categorical exclusions”) for logging projects that other agencies have adopted; and
Within 280 days: Interior must consider adopting and re-adopting NEPA exemptions for thinning and salvage logging, respectively.
Undoing Existing Environmental Protections (Section 3): The agencies are generally directed to eliminate any existing policy (regulations, settlements, guidance, etc.) that creates an undue burden on logging in federal forest. “Undue burden” is wholly undefined.
Weakening Protections for Endangered Species (Section 4):
The agencies are directed to use ESA emergency and exemption provisions to speed up Section 7 consultation for federal logging projects;
The Endangered Species Committee is directed to identify ESA-related obstacles to federal logging and develop additional ways to boost federal logging; and
FWS and NMFS are tasked with prioritizing federal-logging-related ESA consultation.
Section-by-Section Summary: Addressing the threat to national security from imports of timber, lumber
Depicting Timber Imports as a National Security Threat (Section 1): The EO describes wood products as vital to national defense and civilian industries, asserts that other countries are dumping lumber on the United States, and establishes a policy of ensuring a secure domestic supply.
Investigating National Security Effects (Section 2): The Secretary of Commerce must investigate the effects of timber imports on national security. Among other things, the investigation must assess the extent to which domestic production can meet U.S. demand and the feasibility of increasing production, the impact of foreign trade practices on U.S. industry, and whether tariffs or quotas are necessary for national security.
Developing Policies to Increase Production (Section 3): The Secretary of Commerce must submit a report within 270 days presenting findings about the threats that timber imports pose to national security. The report must include recommendations to mitigate such threats, including potential tariffs, export controls, incentives to increase production, strategic investments, and permitting reforms.